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Baking is science and I don't like formulas, but cooking is art and anything goes...and the simpler the better. It's all about less time at the stove and more time at the table. With a forty year passion for food I'm excited to share what I do in the kitchen nearly every day.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Pepper, Olive, and Ricotta Pizza

I’ll go for months without thinking about that frozen pizza dough ball I keep in the freezer, and regret that it’s been so long every time I use it. The great thing about pizza is that anything goes as far as toppings; whatever leftovers, half eaten vegetables, or canned delicacies you can scrounge out of your fridge or cupboards will work…you don’t even need cheese if you don’t have it.The hard part is remembering to take the dough out of the freezer in time for it to defrost.I start by turning my oven up to the maximum so the pizza stone that’s always hanging out on the bottom rack has time to get really hot.With a little bit of flour on the counter I cut the dough ball in two with a bread knife and with my rolling pin flatten one half.I stretch the dough out as much as I can with my hands and work it some more with the rolling pin, especially along the edges where it tends to be thicker.It ends up being about the same size as my pizza peel.After placing it on the dusted peel I spread a half a dozen spoonfuls of Rao’s marinara evenly over the dough.Last night I sautéed an onion and some red and yellow pepper slices for five minutes and added those to my pizza with some sliced Kalamata olives and several dollops of our local Maplebrook ricotta…and a light sprinkling of kosher salt.I’ve really got to remember to make pizza more often.